FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2009

HELPING THOSE IN NEED
Albert Gumbir Fund Awards $8,400 in Grants

In every community there are those few individuals who truly made a difference. Albert Gumbir was one of those individuals. Today Albert’s legacy lives on, with the help of the Golden Belt Community Foundation to continue to provide support to charitable organizations that help those people who are indigent and could not otherwise pay for the services they need. The Albert Gumbir Charitable Fund continues to provide grants to Barton County agencies to carry out his wish of helping others.

Born in 1905 in Austria, Albert settled in Odin, Kansas with his family and was a resident of Great Bend since 1922. It could be said that Albert was a “self-made” man, meaning that he worked hard during his lifetime and was very diligent about money. He preferred to be known by these words, “He’s been richly blessed with good health and wants to help others.” And that is exactly what he did – help others. He was always looking for things that he could do for others or for his community. He felt that the community had been good to him for so many years and he wanted to somehow repay it. Specifically, Albert was concerned about those individuals who might fall through the cracks and not receive the help they really needed when it was most important to them. These are the individuals whom he wished to benefit the most.

Albert passed away at the age of 96 in June of 2001. The Foundation is proud to be able to continue Albert’s charitable giving in his name. It is the Foundation’s hope that he will be remembered not only as someone who was full of life and loved to help others, but as a great volunteer and philanthropist to his community.

The recipients the 2009 grants from the Albert Gumbir Charitable Fund:

Barton County Emergency Aid Council, $2,500
Community Food Bank of Barton County $3,000
Catholic Social Service – Faith in Families Fund $2,000
Trinity Lutheran Church – Social Concerns Team $900

All of these agencies work together to assist those in need of food or other services by communicating, networking, and sharing knowledge and resources.